Wellness

[CatLoverDogsToo]

Hi, Thank you for the book recommendation. Last year my TSH  was 7.8 and my doc said it was mildly elevated, didn't do a thing. I explained how lousy I feel. Didn't matter. Now my TSH is 9.3 and I feel even worse, not to mention gaining weight, and we are doing nothing about it as of yet. My next appointment is at the end of August, maybe something will be done then. Someone mentioned ashwaganda in a post above, I may try that.

[NickNack]

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@CatLoverDogsToo wrote:

Hi, Thank you for the book recommendation. Last year my TSH  was 7.8 and my doc said it was mildly elevated, didn't do a thing. I explained how lousy I feel. Didn't matter. Now my TSH is 9.3 and I feel even worse, not to mention gaining weight, and we are doing nothing about it as of yet. My next appointment is at the end of August, maybe something will be done then. Someone mentioned ashwaganda in a post above, I may try that.

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If my primary care doctor wasn't properly treating my hypothyroidism, I would see an endocrinologist.  That would be my suggestion to you.  I'm sorry you're feeling so bad.

[tedEbear]

NickNack-----That is exactly what I was going. It sounds like everyone is just getting the info from PCP and not an ENDO.

 There are several different labs the ENDO does, that is not done with a regular doctor.

  Years ago, I went into a thyroid storm and was hospitalized. My Dr never saw anything in my bloodwork that ever pointed to a problem.   I was hallucinating and going in and out of consciousness.  My heart rate was 190, not my BP, my heart.  Go to the ENDO and get tested. 

  The Thyroid is much more important than we think.

  Take care, everyone.---------tedEbear

[violann]

@tedEbear@NickNack- SO TRUE. It took me a VERY long time to begin to work with a compassionate very well trained ENDO, and I have to admit to being VERY concerned about some of the posters here.

For basics, if you are HYPOthyroid, you are sometimes prescribed a REPLACEMENT for the hormone your body should be making/utilizing and for some reason can't/isn't .

Levothyroxine is a synthetic version of the hormone that the body makes naturally. It is NOT a MEDICINE, like penicillin or codeine or digitalis.

People who are hypothyroid take the replacement hormone based on both their NUMBERS AND their SYMPTOMS.

People who are HYPER  thyroid have too much thyroid hormone in their bodies. They MAY need prescription medicine to counteract rapid pulse or elevated blod pressure CAUSED by too much hormone.

If you are taking a type of THYROID REPLACEMENT that doesn't help you deal wth SYMPTOMS, other types of thyroid replacement may and should be tried. This happens typically with a good endocrinologist, but not necessarily with even a GOOD GP or internist, who cannot really be expectd to have a nuanced approach to what is a VERY CONFUSING medical topic.

Finally, ALL thyroid patients have to be their own experts, but also MUST find a doctor whom they can TRUST to help them feel better.

I read the reviews of the book mentioned here, and plan to read the whole book, but it is my personal experience that if a book says "never" or "always" you need to be a little careful with assuming that it is talkng about your specific situation. 

For example, I've taken natural, not synthetic thyroid hormone replacement for years, I recently lost 85 pounds, and I'm able to eat tons of "forbidden" veggies- kale, cabbage, broccoli, etc. with NO adverse effect on my hormone level. WE'RE ALL DIFFERENT!!!!!!!

[tends2dogs]

@violann  I take Armour thyroid for Hashimotos.  My PA now adjusts my dose by how I feel, not the numbers.  I appreciate that because as you said, we aren't all the same and don't always fall into the "normal parameters".

I also asked her about the brocolli, cabbage thing.  She said you could never eat enough to effect anything. 

Congratulations on the weight loss!

[OnlyShopsOnline]

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@Trinity11 wrote:

 If it isn't too personal a question, how high was your husband's TSH number before he started treatment? My doc says 10 TSH is when she starts it. I think from a lot of what I am reading, that is high but I have seen websites where they say after 60, that is standard practice.

Is the author of this book an MD?

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@Trinity11  There are new guidelines for TSH levels.  Any TSH at 2.5 or higher is regarded as suspicious.  And 3-3.5 is considered the level to start meds.

It can get complicated however because thyroid bloodwork isn't always accurate.  I have Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroid) and I've been feeling like the walking dead for months.  My numbers were perfect.  My endocrinologist ran a Reverse T3 test, and that was high.  Simply put, my blood levels of thyroid hormones were normal, but the hormone wasn't reaching the cellular level.  He added Cytomel (T3) to my Synthroid, with a low starting dose.  It's been a week, and I already am feeling slightly better.

[violann]

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@OnlyShopsOnline wrote:

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@Trinity11 wrote:

 If it isn't too personal a question, how high was your husband's TSH number before he started treatment? My doc says 10 TSH is when she starts it. I think from a lot of what I am reading, that is high but I have seen websites where they say after 60, that is standard practice.

Is the author of this book an MD?

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@Trinity11  There are new guidelines for TSH levels.  Any TSH at 2.5 or higher is regarded as suspicious.  And 3-3.5 is considered the level to start meds.

It can get complicated however because thyroid bloodwork isn't always accurate.  I have Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroid) and I've been feeling like the walking dead for months.  My numbers were perfect.  My endocrinologist ran a Reverse T3 test, and that was high.  Simply put, my blood levels of thyroid hormones were normal, but the hormone wasn't reaching the cellular level.  He added Cytomel (T3) to my Synthroid, with a low starting dose.  It's been a week, and I already am feeling slightly better.

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Great post @OnlyShopsOnline. My endocrinologist uses numbers AND symptoms when making decisions about my care. Thyroid disease IS super complex to diagnose/treat. If you are taking thyroid hormone and still feel terrible it may be necessary to get a second opinion from a thyroid specialist (endocrinologist with specific trainng in thyroid disorders) and sooner than later.

[SANNA]

If you are type O blood and hypo try Bladderwrack supplement.

[sidsmom]

I'm thinking I might need to go to an Endocrinologist instead of my GP.

No one I know has thyroid issues, so a recommendation is a no-go.

What do you look for?  

Are there particular questions to ask when interviewing a specialist?

TIA!

[OnlyShopsOnline]

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@violann wrote:

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@OnlyShopsOnline wrote:

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@Trinity11 wrote:

 If it isn't too personal a question, how high was your husband's TSH number before he started treatment? My doc says 10 TSH is when she starts it. I think from a lot of what I am reading, that is high but I have seen websites where they say after 60, that is standard practice.

Is the author of this book an MD?

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@Trinity11  There are new guidelines for TSH levels.  Any TSH at 2.5 or higher is regarded as suspicious.  And 3-3.5 is considered the level to start meds.

It can get complicated however because thyroid bloodwork isn't always accurate.  I have Hashimoto's disease (hypothyroid) and I've been feeling like the walking dead for months.  My numbers were perfect.  My endocrinologist ran a Reverse T3 test, and that was high.  Simply put, my blood levels of thyroid hormones were normal, but the hormone wasn't reaching the cellular level.  He added Cytomel (T3) to my Synthroid, with a low starting dose.  It's been a week, and I already am feeling slightly better.

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Great post @OnlyShopsOnline. My endocrinologist uses numbers AND symptoms when making decisions about my care. Thyroid disease IS super complex to diagnose/treat. If you are taking thyroid hormone and still feel terrible it may be necessary to get a second opinion from a thyroid specialist (endocrinologist with specific trainng in thyroid disorders) and sooner than later.

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@violann  Hi violann!  We haven't chatted for a while.  My endo did run additional tests and found a reverse T3 issue. So now I'm starting with Cytomel.  It's a low dose, so this will be going on for months....gradually increasing my T3 and reducing my Synthroid a little.  Menopause can cause a RT3 problem, along with stress and other things.  If I look back, I think my RT3 issue started at about the time I became post menopausal. 

For others reading this, it's important to check RT3.  It means that your thyroid levels can look great, but the active T3 is not reaching the cellular levels of your body.  So if you keep increasing your meds based on symptoms, and not check RT3, you will be making the problem worse. Taking a T3 hormone will help clear the RT3 put of your body and, hopefully, restore your health.